/ College of Public Health
University of South Florida

Department ofEpidemiology and Biostatistics

Syllabus

In class Course Name:Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Prefix & Number:PHC 6002

Sections: 1)sect ref#Enter, 2)sectref#Enter,3)sectref#Enter

Semester:

Course Description: / The purpose of this course is to assist the student to understand the epidemiological patterns, etiology and risk factors of selected infectious and tropical human diseases from a population- based perspective. Infectious and tropical diseases constitute a major worldwide health dilemma. Globally, they are the cause of millions of deaths among children and contribute to crippling chronic illness among adults, especially in developing countries. The course assumes familiarity with elementary biomedical concepts and epidemiological terminology and basic research methods, as well as basic biostatistics as it examines specific diseases as they occur in populations, rather than in individual patients. This background is necessary in order to properly comprehend the epidemiological significance of those diseases of domestic and global public health importance.
Grounding in research methods is necessary in order to complete a critique of a research article related to the epidemiology of an infectious disease, to write a report, and to prepare a Power Point (PP) presentation. /
Credit hours: / 3 /
Pre-Requisites: / If you have not taken these courses, written permission by the Instructor is needed.
History and Systems and Population Assessment I [or Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Equivalents].
Pre-requisite skills:
Students must be able to create powerpoint presentations, complete forms using MS Word, search the internet.
Note: Additional support will be provided on using the USF online library. /
Co-Requisites: / N/A /
Location: / . In Canvas: /
Instructor Information: / Instructor / Instructor / Instructor
Aurora Sanchez-Anguiano, MD, PhD, CPH Associate Professor / Name / Name /
Physical Office: COPH 2112 / Office/mailing address / Office/mailing address /
On campus: Wednesdays, 12 to 2 PM / Office hours / Office hours /
(813) 974 6671 / Phone / Phone /
/ Email address / Email address /
email via Outlook / Preferred method of contact / Preferred method of contact /
Sun-Thu. (24-48 hrs). Fri-Sat (48-72 hrs). / Indicate reply policy / Indicate reply policy /
Teaching Assistant Information: / TA 1 / TA 2 / TA 3
Name / Name / Name /
TBA / Office/mailing address / Office/mailing address /
Office hours / Office hours / Office hours /
TBA / Phone / Phone /
Email address / Email address /
TBA / Preferred method of contact / Preferred method of contact /
TBA / Indicate reply policy / Indicate reply policy /
Tech Assistance / Use the Tech Assistance button on the course website. The Tech Assistance button links to the Technical Support page of the Office of Educational Technology & Assessment website at: Select from any of the available options. Students will receive a reply WITHIN 24 hours via phone or email based on student preference.
During ExamCollaborate Live Sessions: Technical assistance for exams and Collaborate Live sessions are supported by ETA. The phone number will be posted on the course website.
Online Section of the Course. Technical Requirements: / Students in all flip classes (combination of in-class and online formats) in public health courses are expected to meet the basic technology requirements to successfully participate in their courses. Failure to meet these requirements may cause problems accessing the course materials.
It is the student's responsibility to ensure all requirements are met prior to the start of the semester.

Collaborate Computer Requirements: (if applicable)
View hardware and software requirements and downloads for Collaborate sessions:
Required Materials: / - Johan Giesecke. Modern Infectious diseases Epidemiology. Second edition. Taylor & Francis Group. CRC Press (before: Arnold, A member of the Hodder Headline Group). London. 2001. ISBN 978-0-340-76423-7
- David L. Heymann, MD. (ed). Control of communicable diseases manual. Twentieth edition. American Public Health Association, Washington, D.C., 2014. ISBN-13 9780875530185 | 978-0-87553-018-5
Optional: Can be used instead of the required book
- Manya Magnus. Essentials of Infectious Disease Epidemiology. Jones and Bartlett. Sudbury. MA. 2008 ISBN 10: 0-7637-3444-6
- Manya Magnus. Essentials Readings in Infectious Disease Epidemiology. Jones and Bartlett. Sudbury. MA. 2009 ISBN 10: 0-7637-3878-6
Other Suggestions:
-Mark S. Dworkin. Outbreak investigations. Around the World. Case Studies in Infectious Disease Field Epidemiology. Jones and Bartlett. Sudbury. MA. 2010. ISBN 10: 0-7637-5143-X
-Mark Pendergrast. Inside the Outbreaks. The Elite Medical Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Boston. 2010 ISBN 978-0-15-101120-9
HSC Bookstore
Other Materials:
Calculator. Microphone, headphones or speakers, internet connection (DSL/Cable). Students must have administrative rights to their computers to allow installation of (free) software required for presentations. Firewalls must be disabled to run this software.
Additional Resources:
Students are strongly encouraged to read other texts (some more recommended below) and search the Internet (some links will be provided as part of the lecture; please remember that Wikipedia is not an acceptable scientific source in graduate courses), and participate in interactive study groups. Discussion between students provides an opportunity to discuss concepts and practice methods that are presented in each weekly unit. Several of the recommended texts are found in the circulation sections of USF libraries. Students also are encouraged to explore these libraries, and the virtual online library, since these resources will tremendously assist you in all academic and professional searches.
Recommended Materials: / Optional Recommended Texts:
  1. Thomas J & Weber D (ed). Epidemiology Methods for the study of Infectious Diseases. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2001.
  1. Nelson KE, Masters Williams C, Graham NMH. Infectious Disease Epidemiology. Theory and Practice. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA, 2004 (before: Aspen Publishers Inc, 2001).
  1. Oleckno WA. Essential Epidemiology. Principles and Applications. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc; 2003.
  1. Hennekens CH, Buring JE. Epidemiology in Medicine.,Boston,MA: Little, Brown and Company; 1987.
  1. Gordis L. Epidemiology. Third edition. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Company; 2004.
  1. Hebel JR, McCarter RJ. Study guide to Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Sixth edition. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers ; 2006.
Other Recommended Texts:
  1. Friis RH, Sellers TA. Epidemiology for Public Health Practices, Third edition. Sudbury, MA.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2004.
  1. Last JM. A dictionary of epidemiology, Third edition. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 1995.
  1. Aschengrau A, Seage GR. Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health. Sudbury, MA.: Jones and Bartlett Learning, 2014. ISBN-13: 9781284028911

  1. World Health Systems. Challenges and Perspectives. Edited by Bruce J. Fried and Laura M. Gaydos. Health Administration Press. Chicago, Illinois. AUPHA Press, Washington, D.C. 2002.
  1. Principles and Practice of Public Health Surveillance, Second edition. Edited by Steven M. Teutsch and R. Elliot Churchill. Oxford University Press. New York, N.Y. 2000.
  1. Budrys G. Unequal Health. Lanham. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2003
  1. Conrad P and Leiter V. Health and Health Care as Social Problems. Lanham. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2003
Recommended Links:
These links are very important and useful sources of information. The student will benefit in exploring them. They include:
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (
  • Epidemiology for the Uninitiated (
  • Epidemiology Supercourse (
  • Epidemiology links from the University of California at San Diego (
  • Florida Department of Health (
  • National Institutes of Health (
  • National Center for Health Statistics: Healthy People 2010: (
  • NIH training for research studies with human subjects (
  • Office of Public Health and Science (
  • Office of the Surgeon General (
  • Resources for Methods in Evaluation and Social Research

Course Format: / Delivery Format:
This is a “Flipped course” with an in-class component and also with a Web-based component using Canvas (open it on Google Chrome preferable). It is a “STUDENT CENTERED LEARNING COURSE”. Harden and Crosby (2000) describe student-centered learning as focusing on the students’ learning and ‘what students do to achieve this, rather than whatthe teacher does’. The emphasis is in the concept of the student ‘doing’.
Students are suggested to allot a minimum of nine hours per week to the course outside of class time.
This course is divided into two modules. During the first seven weeks (module 1) students are responsible for listening to self-paced narrated presentations and completing written exercises on specified topics. Those exercises are going to be completed in groups during the class time to allow for discussion and feedback by the members of the group and the Instructor. Each Wednesday afternoon from 12.30-3.15 pm, students will have the opportunity to work collaboratively to complete these exercises.
After the mid part of the semester (in Module 2) students will participate in student-led presentations in class. Each student is responsible for two presentations. Students will be responsible for attending to all student-led presentations. Content from these presentations will be included as part of the final exam.
Instructional Strategies:
  • Narrated presentations, textbook reading and student-led presentations
  • Case study exercises (group collaboration)
  • Critique of epidemiological article, disease paper written report, article critique presentation, disease presentation, objective-based quizzes and final exam.

Learning Objectives:
(Objectives must be numbered)
  1. Become familiar with major epidemiological patterns of infectious diseases affecting human populations by person, time and place.
  2. Identify the major risk factors for selected infectious diseases.
  3. Learn the specifics of etiology, life cycles of infectious agents, vectors and non-biological factors involved in the transmission and development of diseases, which are epidemiologically important in Florida, the United States, and for selected diseases of global significance.
  4. Learn the public health significance of the selected major infectious diseases in terms of morbidity, mortality, socio-economic impact as well as the impact on health care systems and identify the potential benefits that would be obtained from controlling or eradicating a specific disease.
  5. Review the application of diagnostic screening methods used to determine the prevalence and incidence of specific diseases.
  6. Review the type of responses to carry out by the health department personnel during an outbreak and to answer calls for information and action when a case of an infectious disease of public health importance is reported.
  7. Understand concepts such as relative risk and attributable risk as these apply to the evaluation of risk factors in the planning, design and implementation of control and eradication programs of the diseases revised.
  8. Apply a population-based perspective to an identified infectious disease in order to propose ideas for future research.
  9. Demonstrate fundamental course principles and concepts when critiquing a published research article and writing a report and presentation on an infectious disease.

Assessment Strategies:
(Strategies must be numbered)
Type of Assessments:
The purpose of the readings is to further expose students to the principles that are presented in lectures and to advance their understanding of epidemiologic concepts applied to infectious diseases. Following the schedule, the student will review the topic for every week. Exercises and assignments are designed to fulfill all the objectives of the course.
1. Exercises
Will be completed by group work during the class time. Students must complete the answers using a form provided on the course website. All exercises must be discussed in class.
2. Final Exam and Quizzes (6)
One exam(final) will be held online. The final examination will be taken online during the last week of the semester (finals’ week) (see Course Schedule for date). The final exam will be cumulative (i.e., includes material from the entire course). Six quizzes, one for every class, will be posted in Canvas. There is only one attempt to take the quiz and should be completed in 20 minutes. The 5 highest scores will be consider as part of the final grade. Students will have a full week to complete quizzes. Due date: Fridays at 11.59 PM.
The quizzes and the examination will be solely the work of the student. Quizzes andExamareclosed book. No assistance is allowed. Use of any assistance on completing quizzes and examination is considered disruption of the academic process and violation of the policy regarding academic integrity and will be treated accordingly. Assistance includes but is not limited to notes, books, computer resources and persons. Refer to Graduate School Catalog policies listed in Institutional Policies section (Student Responsibility and Conduct, Academic Integrity of Students, and Disruption of Academic Process/Plagiarism). Also, see Make-up Policy under Grading Policies.
3. Article Written Critique
This is an individual assignment that should not be discussed between students. Students individually should read and critique an epidemiologic article provided by the instructor. Grading criteria and guidelines will be provided. Students will bring the critique to class for an organized discussion. Refer to Graduate School Catalog policies listed in Institutional Policies section(Student Responsibility and Conduct, Academic Integrity of Students, and Disruption of Academic Process/Plagiarism).
4. Article Critique Presentation in Power Point
This is an individual assignment that should not be discussed between students. Students individually will choose an article for their Article critique presentation (can be the best or the worst article you read for your Disease paper report or your Disease presentation). Every student will develop a Power Point Presentation (PPT) and must follow the guidelines provided on the course website. Students will send the PPT through the Assignment submission page on Canvas to the instructor by the Sunday on the week you are to present the critique. Students will bring their presentation to class on the date they will present/ Dates are going to be provided in a schedule that will be developed after the add/drop period of the course.
5. Disease Paper Report
This is an individual assignment that should not be discussed between students. Students individually should elaborate a written report of an infectious disease. This report will be submitted using Turn-it-in.Grading criteria and guidelines will be available on the course website. Refer to Graduate School Catalog policies listed in Institutional Policies section(Student Responsibility and Conduct, Academic Integrity of Students, and Disruption of Academic Process/Plagiarism).
6. Disease Presentation in Power Point
This is an individual assignment that should not be discussed between students. Students should prepare a PowerPoint presentation of an infectious disease different from the one they chose for the report. [The presentation will be between 30-60 minutes long, depending on the number of students]. Students will develop a Power Point Presentation (PPT) and must follow the guidelines provided on the course website. Students will send them PPT through the Assignment submission page on Canvas to the instructor by the Sunday on the week the disease presentation is to be presented.
Details related to all assessments will be available in their corresponding folders in the ‘Assignments’ section of the course website.
This course meetsthe followingEpidemiologyMPH Competencies.
Competency / Learning Objectives / Assessment Strategies
1. Describe and discuss the history and theory of epidemiology
2. Identify, describe and discuss the public health problems in terms of magnitude, person, time and place.
3. Assess, synthesize and critically evaluate epidemiologic scientific literature.
4. Describe and discuss strengths and limitations of experimental and observational study designs.
5. Describe and discuss basic epidemiologic principles of infectious and chronic disease research.
6. Identify and discuss risk factors and their relationships to health outcomes.
7. Demonstrate proficiency in basic and intermediate epidemiologic methods and principles.
8. Identify and discuss ethical and legal principles in the design, collection, use and dissemination of epidemiologic data and public health research. / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1 - 9
1, 2, 9
1, 6, 8, 9
3, 4, 8, 9
1-9
1-9
1, 2, 5-9 / 1,2, 5, 6
1,2,3,4,5,6
1,2,3,4,5,6
1,2,3,4,5,6
1,2,3,4,5,6
1,2,3,4,5,6
1,2,3,4.5.6
1,3,4,5,6

Table 1 below presents the number of points assigned to each class activity. NOTE- Before you access the course’s materials you will need to complete a review of PLAGIARISM and take a quiz responding to 5 questions. After you submit your responses with a perfect score (you will be able to repeat the quiz until you get perfect score) you will be allowed to access the first module (content and materials).

Grading Scale and Criteria: / Grading is based on a 100 point-scale (Table 1).A letter grade will then be determined according to (Table 2) for a given score.

Table 1 Grading Criteria

Assessment / Points
Exercises (4) / 10 points (2.5 each)
Article Written Critique / 10 points
Article Critique Presentation (PPT) / 10 points
Disease paper report / 20 points:
10 Epidemiology content;
5 Organization/flow/clarity;
5 bibliography
Disease Presentation (PPT) / 20 points:
10 Epidemiology content;
5 Organization/flow/clarity;
5 bibliography
Quizzes
Final exam / 1 point each (total 5). [Highest 5 scores out of the 6 quizzes].
25 points
TOTAL / 100 points
Table 2 Grading Scale
A / B / C / D / F
90-100 / 80- <90 / 70- <80 / 60- <70 / <60
Grading Policies: / Exam Policies:
Final exam is ONLINE.
We recommend that you use your personal computer instead of your work computer to avoid technical problems derived from firewall protection.
Exam will last 3 hours. Exams are timed by Canvas and students will not be able to exceed the time limit. Once you hit the time limit you will be out of the exam automatically.
ALL EXAMS ARE CLOSED BOOK FOR THIS COURSE. Use of a book or other reference materials (including people, notes and websites) is considered cheating. The instructor reserves the right to re-examine any student either orally or in writing should an issue of academic misconduct arise related to any course grading event. Refer to Graduate School Catalog policies listed in Institutional Policies section (Academic Integrity of Students, and Disruption of Academic Process/Plagiarism).
Make-up Exams:
Make-up exams will be given only under extreme circumstances or emergencies. If you need to change the time you take any exam, you MUST notify the professor BEFORE being allowed to take any make-up exam. If you must re-schedule the exam, you will need to provide documentation of your emergency to the instructor in the format of an electronic pdf file attached to an e-mail. No exams may be taken after the actual day that the exam is officially offered. Students who do not abide by these rules will receive a zero score on their exam. No exceptions will be made.